NewsRoom Digest: Top NZ News Items for September 15, 2015

This edition of NewsRoom_Digest features 10 resourceful links of the day and the politics pulse from Tuesday 15th September.

NEWSROOM_MONITOR

Top stories in the current news cycle include China’s biggest meat processing company Shanghai Maling Aquarius investing $261 million for joint control of New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms, the Federation of Family Budgeting Services says people are doing a better job of paying off their debts according to and recommendations in the Productivity Commission’s final report on improving outcomes from social services to “make greater use of devolution in the social services system”.

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POLITICS PULSE

Media releases issued from Parliament by political parties today included:

Labour: Information important, but raw data not robust; Labour To Table New Flag Referendum Bill; Silver Fern Farms sale result of Govt inaction; Government doubles down on underfunding social services; Govt must come clean on secret HNZ dividend; South Island threatened with recession; No end in sight for EQC customers with dodgy repairs; English finally admits unemployment fall ‘unlikely’; Maori Party’s Land Law Slammed By Judges

New Zealand First: PM called to account on future of Silver Fern Farms; Playing politics with the flag; PM Quick To Subsidise Foreign Firms But Not Kiwi Ones; National and Peter Dunne block battle of Britain motion; English turned down meeting request with silver fern farms; More Kiwi troops likely for Iraq

FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS 2016: Around 100 Māori and New Zealand-based Pasifika artists will represent Aotearoa alongside 26 other Pacific nations at the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam next May and June – considered the premier arts and culture event for the Pacific region. More details on the festival are available at:https://www.festpac.visitguam.com/

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION REPORT: The Productivity Commission recommends setting up a separate system to deal with those who have the most complex needs. Every year, the country spends $34 billion on social services, more than 10 percent of GDP. Click here for the full report: http://www.productivity.govt.nz/inquiry-content/2032?stage=4

Selwyn Manning, BCS (Hons.) MCS (Hons.) is an investigative political journalist with 23 years media experience. He specializes in reportage and analysis of socioeconomics, politics, foreign affairs, and security/intelligence issues.
Selwyn has extensive experience as a commentator and has provided live political analysis to a wide range of television and radio organizations broadcasting in New Zealand, Australia and globally including the BBC (Five Live, London) and BBC (World Service). He is currently a correspondent to Australia's FiveAA radio, and is a regular live-on-air panelist on Radio New Zealand's The Panel with broadcaster Jim Mora.